A gimmicky, flashy, and campy tribute to double features of yore. "Planet Earth" by Rodriguez is fast-paced, very gross, and in-your-face vapid. That irreverence only goes so far, and the playful, twisted character of Cherry -- iconic gun leg and all -- is too good for the rest of the movie.
Like most of Tarentino's films, "Death Proof" is at once misogynistic and self-aware of its own misogyny. It is actually structured to explore this binary. As gruesome and exploitive as I found it, I couldn't help but take pleasure in its leisurely dialog, characters, the very exciting car chase, and its final scene.
Tarentino's two cameos are annoying and overblown. The absence of a Rodriguez cameo makes him look like quite the sloppy camera hog. Still, in terms of innovation, the Tarentino film dwarfs the other. Especially if you like this kind of thing.
